Mitra pursues WBA appeals

After a wait of over two years, Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Baham Mitra brought the World Boxing Association (WBA) to agree to a dialogue and it took place recently via a Zoom conference call for an hour. Mitra said he was disappointed that WBA president Jesus Mendoza didn’t join and was represented by championship committee chairman Carlos Chavez. But since Mitra’s grievances were mainly about Filipino fighters getting short-changed in WBA title bouts, Chavez was the right man to talk to.

GAB attended in full force.  Mitra was with boxing chief Dr. Jesusito Garcia, supervising sports and games regulation officer Jackie Lou Cacho-Ornido, executive assistant Jan Kenner So, promoter Kenneth Rontal representing former WBA regular minimumweight champion Vic Saludar and Ding Alipano of Quibors Boxing Promotions. The meeting was held at 8:30 p.m. Manila time and 7:30 a.m. Panama time. The WBA head office is in Panama.

After the meeting, Mitra sent a letter to Mendoza calling for “future communications, if not additional meetings, to give clearer light to issues that apparently need more discussions and complete resolution.” He said Chavez recommended that GAB directly submit its requests to Mendoza for approval. Nothing conclusive was achieved in the dialogue except that now, Chavez has an idea of what GAB is crowing about.

In his letter to Mendoza, Mitra reiterated how Saludar was robbed of retaining his crown when he was called for two knockdowns that were flimsy. Mitra said Saludar should be given another crack at the title. Rontal said he will keep Saludar busy with a competitive fight and hopes the WBA will sanction a challenge against the winner of the unification duel between super WBA champion Knockout CP Freshmart and regular titlist Erick dela Rosa. Additionally, Mitra said Quibors fighter ArAr Andales wanted to protest his TKO loss to Freshmart in their title fight in 2019 but it didn’t make sense because the complaint fee was $10,000 and his purse was only $8,500.

Mitra said the WBA should consider lowering the protest fee for a doubtful outcome that “may warrant a thorough WBA study (and) will eventually provide assurance of preventing any controversy.” He also mentioned that in Saludar’s case, he was paid his purse by the Dominican Republic promoter over a week after the fight. Mitra said the WBA should require promoters to “pay the agreed fight purse immediately and without delay so as not to deprive poor boxers of their earnings traveling back to the Philippines.” He said the WBA should assign neutral judges and referees for title fights “to ensure impartiality and avoid possible controversies with regard to scoring.” Mitra referred to Saludar’s fight against Dela Rosa with the judges and referee coming from Latin American countries. He reminded Mendoza of the injustice of stripping Manny Pacquiao of the super WBA welterweight belt and calling him a champion in recess.

“We’re glad to have established communication with the WBA and hope to keep communication lines open for unity, prosperity and the development of professional boxing not just in the Philippines but outside,” he said. “GAB will continue to work closely with our international counterparts and boxing organizations like the WBA to promote fair conduct of matches and preserve the integrity of the sport.”